Chicago, IL

May 2018

Antonio Fiasche is the son of an Italian immigrant family that has been curing salumi for five generations, and his mom and dad still work the line each night at their restaurant in the Chicago suburbs. Fiasche grew up bussing tables and easily fell into kitchen life. He joined the team at Publican Quality Meats as a private events cook and worked there for almost two years.

When he was ready to go out on his own, he partnered with his Calabrian father, Agostino, to open ’Nduja Artisans, producing traditional Italian charcuterie using Berkshire pork and recipes that are true to their roots. What started with a few hundred pounds of ’nduja and a prayer is now a 30,000-pound-a-month curing operation.​In early 2018, Fiasche expanded his range and offerings at Tempesta Market, which includes an expansive variety of house salumi sought after by some of the best chefs in the country. The market also draws crowds for their superlative sandwiches (and meat cones!), which The Chicago Tribune called “joyously unhinged,” “playfully devious,” and “uber-luscious” in a twostar review—not bad for a deli. For Fiasche, Tempesta is the beginning of an expansion plan that will introduce consumers, locally and across the country, to the glories of cured meats and Calabrian chiles.